A
STRONG CASE FOR HON. AFENYO MARKIN TO BE MADE THE DEPUTY MAJORITY LEADER OF
PARLIAMENT
Iddi Muhayu-Deen writes...
One
of the reasons why many Ghanaians including myself, support the NPP is because
of the party's abhorrence for mediocrity and their strong belief in competence.
The party would, on any day, see competence as a nonnegotiable consideration in
taking every decision. Simply put, the NPP has amply demonstrated to the
Ghanaian people that competence has no substitute in its enterprises and that;
it would always reward competence rather than convenience. Now, more than ever,
the party's agelong belief in competence is once again, being put to test and I
am confident that the party would past this test.
The
test has to do with the appointment of a Deputy Majority Leader to replace Hon.
Adwoa Sarfo, who has been elevated to the position of Minister of State. As much
as I agree that the Majority Caucus has a lot of competent MPs to occupy this
position, I also hold the view that almost all of these competent MPs are
already being engaged either as Ministers of State, Deputy Ministers, Ranking
Members on Committees or Committee Chairpersons. Arguably, the only experienced
and competent MP in the Majority side of the House that is yet to be engaged is
the famous Hon. Afenyo Markin.
His
competence is not in doubt at all because he has been exceedingly astounding in
his general parliamentary disposition, which manifests itself in the quality of
his debate and contribution on the floor of the House and beyond. When the
going gets tough for the NPP side in Parliament, you will see the Afenyos on
their feet to do the rescue mission. Yesterday was the Afenyos, today is the
Afenyos and I have no doubt that tomorrow, it shall be the Afenyos ‘doing the
do’ for the NPP Caucus in Parliament. Is it debate on matters that have to do
with the law? Is it politics? Is it social justice? Is it education? Is it
security issues?... Just name it, and you will find the perfect answers in the
Afenyos.
When
the Afenyos stand on their feet to speak, you would have absolutely no ground
to put them to order or challenge their claim. The name Afenyo Markin has
become almost synonymous to perfection. As for his outspoken nature and
articulation skills, especially in the Queen's Language, I don't want to even
go there. What a blessing he is to the NPP and its Parliamentary Caucus!
Certainly, the party couldn't have asked God for a better person. I wasn't
surprised at all when he was once voted the best overall performing MP in
Ghana's Parliament by the famous African Watch Magazine. I am also not
surprised that a lot of people expressed shock when his name was conspicuously
missing in the President's first batch of ministerial list.
Not
even the second or the third or even the deputy ministerial list, which was
largely drawn from Parliament. Hey! Like they always say, the President knows
best and he, who laughs last, may end up having the best laugh. Initially, when
his name came up strongly for the position of Deputy Majority Leader, many a
Ghanaian expressed outrage why it didn't materialize but you see, we have gone
round in circle and back to this stage. What is yours, they say, will always
find you. God is indeed a wonderful God and He doesn't have to owe you before
paying you.
Hon
Afenyo Markin is one person who has not only paid his dues to his constituents
in Efutu, but the NPP and Ghana at large. When I told the story of the Afenyos
sometime last week or two, I spoke about how he abandoned his flourishing
business to join politics and the NPP for that matter. I spoke about how he
snatched the Efutu Seat on his first attempt in 2012; a Seat, deemed NDC
stronghold which was at the time occupied by Hon. Mike Hammah, the then
Minister for Transport and an NDC bigwig. Afenyo Markin has since been winning
that Seat, virtually making it a safe Seat for the NPP.
I
spoke about how he has been a pillar in the NPP Communications Team at the
national level. I spoke about how he has become a legal authority in this
country wining almost all the landmark cases he represented at the nation’s
Supreme Court even though he spent less than 10 years at the bar. I also spoke
about how he sacrificed his legitimate membership to the ECOWAS Parliament at
the time Ghana was at the verge of facing an international embarrassment.
Afenyo Markin did that in order to save the image of the NPP Caucus in
Parliament and the image of his country. This trait, earned him the admiration
of not only the Parliament of Ghana and the ECOWAS, but also the BBCs and the
CNNs.
What
more can one offer to his party and country that the Afenyos haven't offered
the NPP and Ghana! But why hasn't his efforts been recognized and rewarded till
date? Is it the case that some people in his party and beyond are just not
comfortable with his growing popularity in the political space and are bent on
thwarting his progress? Do they feel threatened by his enviable exploits and
rising hegemony in the circumstances? Are they scheming to block every
opportunity that comes his way? I really hope that none of these questions
returns a YES answer, else, that would be a sad commentary to be made of our
body politic after 60 years of nationhood.
I
don't know about you, but I have been monitoring developments in the 7th
Parliament very keenly and I can report authoritatively that the leadership of
the Minority especially Hon. Haruna Iddrisu appears to be having a field day.
He and his colleagues seem to be giving the Majority Caucus a tough time and a
run for their money. They are stealing all the positive headlines and that
worries me as a youth activist of the NPP. I must however admit that the
Majority Leader, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu remains the finest and most
experienced parliamentarian in the House by all standards.
Perhaps
the only missing link is that unlike Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, he is not fortunate
to have a strong force in the leadership of the Majority Caucus to complement
his efforts. For instance, I don't recall the last time the Majority Chief Whip
made a strong case for his side during parliamentary debates. Maybe I am wrong
but that is what I've observed over the period. I am particularly worried
because the NPP, we all know is the party that has the men. Yes, we have the
men and that is not in doubt at all. I therefore expect the Majority Caucus in
Parliament to take urgent steps to remedy the situation for love of God,
country and the NPP.
I
say finally that if there has ever been a time for Hon. Afenyo Markin to lead
the NPP caucus in Parliament as Deputy Majority Leader, then it is NOW. There
can never be a better time for this outstanding parliamentarian of the enviable
Danquah-Busia stock, in whom; I see a lot of J.B. Danquah, one of the founders
of Ghana. Let it be said that whatever decision the Majority (NPP) side of the
House arrive at regarding the deputy majority leader position, they should be
minded that posterity shall judge same. And just like the legendary J.B.
Danquah, I am of the firm conviction that history will vindicate the Afenyo
Markins. I rest my case....
Assalamu
alaikum
Iddi Muhayu-Deen
Free
to share….
Patience is indeed a priceless virtue. This is a practical manifestation of the AKAN adage "woto wobo dwa ntatea,wo hu ne nsono". Which literally means " if you patiently kills an ant, you will surely see its intestines". As at the time political phsycophants were lobbying for positions,the Afenyors were busily serving the constituents. When the struggle for positions become intensed and do and die, the Afenyors were attending to the grassroots. And even when the search for deputy ministers was met with hatred and prejudice, Hon.Afenjor was "comfortably in the lead". What thralled me surprising was when he has to sacrifice and decline his prestigious position as a member of the ECOWAS parliament to save the image of the country. Now the ball has gone round and settled at the very feet of the crowned prince. What has to be taken into cogniscanc is that perseverance pays. He's indeed the future of Ghanaian politics and the "Mogabi" of EFFUTU. More grease to your elbow HON.
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